Bunny Trainer/Bonder

[Cinnamin]

Hello all,

We are looking for a trainer to help us train and bond our bunnies. We are having a lot of difficulties separating our house into sections. We are at our wits end with this all of it. We tried all the bonding methods mentioned on the sites and they do not want to get a long. We looked for a bunny trainer online with no luck in finding any.

We are located in south New Jersey and are in hopes of finding someone in the area to help us with this bonding and also training our bunnies. If anyone can steer us in the right direction into finding a trainer for us.

Thank you

[DanaNM]

I would suggest looking for a house rabbit rescue in your area. They often have experienced bonders that might be able to help.

A quick google found these guys: http://www.njhrs.com/

And these guys: http://forbunnysakerabbitrescue.org/

I would start by contacting them

We can also try to give you some advice if you post a bit more about your bonding process.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Cinnamin]

Hi Dana,

I messaged both of those places in hopes they could steer us in the right direction. Thank you for the links and the research.

The bonding process we have been trying is at first putting them in a neutral area letting them sniff each other out, after about 30 seconds they will start fighting only when they get close it seems. They are fine being in the area together, as in if they do not seek each other out there are no issue, but if they get close after the first 30 seconds to 1 minute they will start fighting, pulling out each other’s hair, spraying and we have to break them up with a book. Neither of them will mount each other or submit.

We have done stress bonding sessions about 7-8 times. Putting them in a laundry basket and carrying them around, putting them on an office chair and rolling them around, changing their litter boxes, changing their territory for about 20 minutes and putting them in the shower with a wet floor then having them to groom each other afterwords having wet feet. 

We honestly do not know what to do anymore. It seems like our boy is the aggressor between the two, as in he is the one starting the attacks and fights. Our girl seems to try and sniff/nip under his butt at times, don’t know exactly what this means, but she seems more curious than him. We do not know where to go from here.

She is 1 year old spayed lionhead
He is 4 month old neutered Flemish Giant

[DanaNM]

How large is the bonding space? Sometimes a very large space can be helpful (it helped with mine!)

And did you do any pre-bonding? (usually 1 month is recommended, this means cage swaps with no actual interaction)

Also, how long has each been spayed/neutered? (boys can take 3-6 weeks for hormones to drain, girls can take several months)

For stressing, car-rides are my go-to.

With bunnies, the bum is a very sensitive area, so her sniffing his but may not be as innocent as it seems. Could indicate she wants to mount, or as asking for grooms, but at the wrong end. :p

Depending on your answers to my questions, my suggestions will vary. But, assuming you have done pre-bonding and both have their hormones settled, I would recommend trying a very large, new, very neutral space. Especially since your boy is a giant, give them lots of space. Like, at least 2 x-pen’s worth, maybe more. You can add in tunnels and 3 or 4 hiding boxes (with at least two exits). Using a friend’s backyard, kitchen, or garage would work well. The rescues in your area might even allow you to bring them in and use their exercise pens.

When bunnies are in small spaces, things can escalate to a fight very quickly, as they have no where to escape to. I am fairly sure at this point that when bunnies are aggressive, it is almost always due to fear. If you give them space to escape, they are less likely to escalate to a full fight.

The other technique that has worked very well for me, especially in beginning stages like yours, is to pet them both A LOT whenever they approach. By now they have likely gotten into a pattern of “The other rabbit is approaching me, I don’t like them”. So next time they approach each other, start petting them both so much that you flatten them into the ground and keep them calm. You can also start a date like this, with just petting them side by side. You want to build a calm association and trust between them.

If you plan to keep working with them at home, since you say they fight after 30 seconds, end the date at 29 seconds so it doesn’t end on a fight. Stick with short sessions where they don’t fight, then slowly increase the time they spend together…

Reading bonding journals lets you see the full process and how long things can really take (and how often people almost quit!). There are often lots of ups and downs!
Here are some that might help you:
Vienna’s bonding thread (she bonded her two HUGE beautiful bunnies after having a very rough go of it at first): https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/150603/Default.aspx

And here’s my most recent bonding process, where I used the tips I gave you:
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/164900/Default.aspx

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Cinnamin]

We do not keep them in cages, but we keep them quarantined to a certain part of the house.

Our boy was done a little over a month ago and our girl has been done for over 5 months. It is seeming more and more that it is just our giant who is the aggressor, as in I brought him into her territory last night and held him and pet him like you said and she sniffed him, did a bit of the but thing but then ran off, as if not caring that he was in there. I also brought them both carrots and she has no problem eating right in front of him but he wouldn’t in front of her. It seems like he is curious but always starts the attack as well. It seems like she is becoming ok with him.

As for pre bonding we swapped their litter boxes a couple times and in other instances added pee and poop from the others, but to what extent that helped we dont know.

I am linking a picture of their living spaces that i drew up to give you an idea of what that live in now. The only neutral space we have is our spare bedroom, but the reason we are skeptical on using it is because of them going under the bed and having trouble getting them out or fighting under there or spraying on the carpet.
https://i.imgur.com/XG9ROy3.png

[DanaNM]

The bonding space is very important, no interaction should occur in either bun’s territory at this point.

Pre-bonding needs to be cage or litter box swaps daily, or every other day, for 4 weeks. The idea is for the bunnies to get VERY used to each other’s scents, and to lose track of what is their territory. A couple of times isn’t enough for them to fully get used to the other bun’s smell.

So, go back to pre-bonding for a few more weeks (so no bonding sessions where they interact). The should be able to smell each other, and see each other, but not physcally contact each other.

Once you do that, I think the bed room is your best bet. You can lay down a tarp or plastic sheet to protect the carpet, and block access to under the bed with an x-pen, storage cube grids, or cardboard (or set up a pen in that bedroom to confine them).

Neutral space is sooooooo important. Consider if a stranger walked into your home and said “I live here now!”. How would you react? Compare that to getting to know someone after meeting them at work or out and about. Initial reactions would be much more aggressive if your felt threatened and invaded. You might even consider your garage or a couple of pens in the backyard. Since your boy is a giant you need as much space as you can give them.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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